The Personal development award encourages learners to explore a personal project, one or several items that they would research and budget the creation of, then sell for a profit. There was a focus on mapping out and recording their process whilst carrying out this project, reflecting on their reason for choosing certain items and looking into marketing and selling online. The reflection portion of the project gave the parents the opportunity to delve into their own priorities and approaches to problems; some parents found that they found the structure of the SQA helpful for compartmentalising tasks whilst others preferred to complete tasks differently, or even outside of group time. All of this was encouraged and recorded regardless of the method.

This work culminated with the parents assembling their projects, ranging from hard boiled sweets to copper crystal jewellery, and selling them at the local community fair. Several parents were able to attend the fair and sell the items personally, giving them the valuable experience of a thriving marketplace. Some parents attending only segments of the SQA group due to late registration or other priorities, but even those who gave not completed the qualification have voiced the confidence they gained from trying something new and breaking down misconceptions about an industry that can be alienating to both parents and women.

It was great to see the pieces parents had made being bought at the community fair, with many proving to be really popular. The parents are already thinking of ideas for next years fair!